WHAT TO WATCH: RTE Building Ireland series covers Copper mining in Beara

What: Series 3 of the RTE TV series Building Ireland is back and one episode is devoted to looking back at historic copper mining on the Beara Peninsula, West Cork
When does it air: Thursday 30 April 2020 (if you miss it then use the RTE player series link here)

At its peak, 1,600 miners dug for copper in the Berehaven Copper Mines on the Beara peninsula. It was the largest copper deposit in Europe at the time and the introduction of steam engine technology increased productivity. The iconic steam engine houses, now in ruins, once serviced a labyrinth of mineshafts below.

Geographer Susan Hegarty visits one of Ireland’s most remote regions to rediscover the extensive copper mines of Allihies. With our team of experts, she gets unique access to a subterranean world, and explores the scale of industrial activity in a West Cork Valley.

Geographer Susan Hegarty